Chapter 120: Epilogue

Max

Müller Enterprises

"I'd like to confirm the reservation, thank you." I had called Emma's favorite restaurant; today was her birthday. Although she usually didn't celebrate it, ever since she had been with me, I made it entirely special. She had asked for something quiet, without fuss, and if possible, just the two of us. I let out a long sigh; this year, I wanted to make it more emotional. A lot had happened in the last five years since we said "I do," five years of being spouses, friends, and the best lovers.

My hands were in the pockets of my dress pants as I stood in front of the panoramic view from my office. But my five-minute break was interrupted by a knock on my office door.

"Come in," I announced, turning towards my desk behind me, and then my little angel appeared.

"Daddy!" Emily came running towards me with her arms open for me to lift her up, and like a super dad, I did it without hesitation. She wrapped her arms around my neck and let out a laugh. I covered her with kisses, and then she clung to my side like a chimpanzee. "Did you miss me? Mom and I are going to eat; are you coming with us?"

"I've already eaten, but you two go ahead." Emma was closing the office door behind her.

"We're late," she said, pretending to be disappointed, then winked at me.

"Hi, love, I thought you'd be eating with your mother now that she's in town."

"We are, we'll meet at the restaurant where we gather when she visits. But your little devil wanted to come see you and ask if you'd join us." She approached to stretch up and kiss my lips, and as she did, Emily teased us to kiss again while clapping. We smiled and kissed two more times. I put my daughter down, and she ran to the couch to sit like a well-mannered four-year-old, grabbed my iPad, and started a game to keep herself entertained. At her age, Emily was quite intelligent; she had started speaking at two, forming more than five words and understanding much of what we wanted to say. At four, she was learning to play the piano and loved math. She enjoyed eating Neapolitan ice cream, learning to ride a bike, swimming in the pool with her grandpa, Aunt Eda, and her cousin, Sashita, as she affectionately called him. My nephew was two years older than my daughter.

Emma wrapped her arms around my waist and tilted her head.

"So, are we going to dinner alone tonight?" she wanted to know. I hugged her, and she rested her cheek against my chest. I inhaled her scent and closed my eyes.

"Yes, I just confirmed the reservation at your favorite restaurant, pasta and wine."

"Delicious. I'm really craving lasagna." She stepped back and smiled at me. "Can we leave Emily at Eda's? She wants to have a sleepover with Sasha Jr., watch movies, and your sister will finally use the new popcorn machine."

"Oh, I thought Grandma Elaine would stay with her."

"She has some errands to run, so she can't stay tonight, but she'll pick her up tomorrow to spend the whole day with her before flying to London with Stan."

"Okay, that's fine. Why don't we organize a dinner with them before they leave?"

"I like the idea," Emma smiled.

"Daddy, Grandpa Stan has more horses," Emily said, looking up from the iPad.

"More horses?" Emily smiled and nodded excitedly.

"He said when I go there, he'll let me ride one, and he'll give me one because I'm his princess." I raised an eyebrow, pretending to be jealous of her grandpa.

"Hey, you're only my princess and no one else's." She put down the iPad and walked over to me, crossing her arms. She was so adorable when she got serious.

"Grandpa Stan doesn't have anyone, Daddy." I pretended to think about it, and Emma smiled, amused by our little mini-me's stance.

"Well, I'll only lend him the princess title temporarily." She smiled and came closer for me to lift her up as Emma stepped away from our embrace. I covered her with kisses while she laughed and asked me to stop.

After a brief moment, they left. Leaving me alone in my office, which now felt completely empty without the light of my two women. I sighed as I sank into my leather chair. I had wanted to have another child with Emma, but it seemed we only got that "one in a million" chance, and she was a mini-me of both of us, surprising us daily with her antics despite her young age. She drove us crazy with love and occasionally made us angry, but we learned to be patient and understanding. And although Emma had taken all the treatments because she also wanted another child to give Emily a sibling, they all failed. So this year, we decided to take a break and stop trying, promising to leave our desire to be parents again up to fate and the universe.

In these five years, so much had happened. Emma had left her job at the company and decided to dedicate herself fully to being a mother. I imagined she wanted to be the complete opposite of what she had experienced in her childhood. Now that she was a mother, she was determined to enjoy our family. My father had gone crazy with happiness when Eda married Sasha, and when they announced a few months later that she was pregnant, the little one looked just like my friend, only with my sister's eyes and adventurous spirit. My other three friends, Alex, Gus, and Viktor, were finally engaged and about to get married. They had met their future wives at my sister's wedding. So it was a good reception full of surprises for each of them.

Horacio had met his current wife two years after everything had happened, giving himself another chance at love, and now he was the father of twin girls. When he told me the news, I congratulated him and was genuinely happy for him. He was forming a family he hadn't initially sought, but in the end, he found it and was now a happy man. Jamie had been released from prison and immediately obtained a restraining order against him and his mother. When Emma heard that she hadn't actually died, she was shocked at how far greed could go. From what I last investigated, they were starting from scratch on the other side of the country. Jamie was working for a textile company as a machine operator, earning the minimum wage. It seemed they had learned their lesson, living comfortably with his wife and the son they had conceived during his infidelity with Emma. Irina, who was still in treatment, was visited constantly by her parents, but she seemed unchanged, lost in her own world.

Emma and I lived on the outskirts of New York City. Elaine and Stan had given us a house as a wedding gift. It was beautiful and had a large garden. Although Emma was initially determined not to accept it, she realized that a fresh start applied to her too. So, we moved into that house when Emily turned six months old. We made renovations, replacing walls with many windows to let the light flood in and illuminate the place. Now, it was our own family sanctuary.

Over these five years, Emma and I had strengthened our relationship. We were more compatible than we had ever imagined, rarely having any arguments. When disagreements arose, we discussed them maturely and sought solutions. There were no dramas, no shouting, no uncomfortable silences. We were simply happy in our own way.

"Have I told you that tonight, you look more beautiful than usual?" I asked, kissing her knuckles. She smiled, and I could see her cheeks blush, something I loved to see, as it meant my words still had an effect on her.

"Thank you, love. Yes, maybe tonight I am better than usual," she said, winking at me. The lasagna was in the middle of our table, and she began serving it onto our plates. "I love coming here for dinner. Thank you for bringing me on my birthday."

"I wanted to do something more, but..." I started, but she shook her head.

"I prefer being with you, love, just you, in our intimacy," she said, looking at me in a way that I knew was true love.

"Thank you for still being you," I said, pulling her chair closer to me and kissing her. No one could interrupt us as we were in a private area of the restaurant. After the kiss, she sighed. "Thank you for crossing paths with me."

"I love you, Mr. Müller."

"And I love you, my lady."

"Before we move on to another topic, we need to talk," she said seriously. I nodded and helped finish serving our plates. She moved a little away from me to look at me better. "I know that..." she stopped her words and sighed. "I don't know how to say this."

"You're starting to worry me. Just say it. Is something wrong?" I asked. She nodded. "What's wrong, love?" My heart began to race, thinking of many things, none of which I liked.

"Do you remember the last fertility treatment?" I closed my eyes and then opened them.

"This time I'll say no. We agreed that this year, no treatments. I can't put you through so many hormone changes," I said sincerely, and she knew how much it hurt me to see her suffer when the treatments failed. Her eyes filled with tears. I took her hand and kissed her knuckles to calm her.

"But..." she could barely speak.

"Please, love. This year, let's just take a break. Let's relax as a couple, as a family. Next year..."

"I won't be able to take another treatment."

"Why?" I asked, intrigued. Tears began to fall down her cheeks. "My love..."

"Because I'm pregnant." My eyes widened. "After so many treatments and these months of letting life go on without thinking about getting pregnant, I finally did." My heart pounded harder than ever.

"You're... pregnant?" She nodded, so those tears weren't of sadness but of happiness. "You're pregnant." She affirmed again. I stood up and knelt before her, moving the chair to look at her. "You're pregnant." She took my face with her warm hands.

"Yes, my love. I'm four months pregnant." I was in shock. "Remember how with Emily, it didn't show either? It seems it won't show much this time either. I've been to the gynecologist, and everything is fine."

"Four months, my God, love. We've done so many things... Are you sure everything is okay?" The fear of something going wrong came rushing back to me, remembering what happened years ago.

"Everything is fine," she said, leaning in to kiss me. When she pulled away, she looked into my eyes. "What better birthday present than this?" We smiled like two lovestruck fools. Fate had worked its magic when we least expected it, and now...

Another little Müller was coming into our lives.